Great ambiance, along with good quality food. Really enjoyed my visit & i would certainly recommend & come back read more

See all

I had the chance to visit Itani Ramen before attending a concert at the Fox. We were there on a weekday around 6 PM and were promptly seated and served. The overall ambiance is very clean and there are some cool vintage newspaper clipping across the kitchen wall. I got a 10 piece veggie gyoza (half sloppy, half yaki), the veggie ramen and the mocktail of the moment (passionfruit). Its rare to see a vegetarian gyoza on the menu but I really enjoyed mushroom and bean base. The sloppy gyozas were pan-fried and paired with a mayo, green onions and a pickled ginger that made it very tangy. The yaki gyozas were steamed and topped with green onion. I could definitely see myself getting the sloppy ones again! The veggie ramen was a little disappointing- it was advertised to be a miso broth but there was no discernable miso taste. It tasted more like an onion-oil broth. I was impressed with the toppings- they had a half boiled egg, spinach, onion, red bell peppers, bean sprouts and Romanesco broccoli. Overall, a great meal that kept me energized for my night! I can see myself coming back the next time I am at the Fox! read more

Itani Ramen - Veggie Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Went here twice in less than a week because Itani Ramen is that good. I recommend the oxtail ramen for its flavorful broth and meat. I'm a big fan of the garlic waffle fries as well. Next time I plan to try the kara'age and chicken ramen. read more

Itani Ramen - Salmon bowl - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

fun & cozy atmosphere! this was my first ramen experience & i enjoyed my veggie ramen! service was fairly quick too :) read more

Itani Ramen - veggie ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Excellent stop before our show at Fox Theatre. Shared 20 gyoza's among 4 and the drinks were beautiful to see, enjoyable to taste. read more

Itani Ramen - Gyoza deal - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Ambiance is fine. Location is easy. Ramen is very 80's. This is the second time we've been here. read more

Itani Ramen is a solid place if you like fast service, a cool izakaya vibe, available seats on a Friday or weekday night, and aren't really looking to be wowed food-wise. Their fries appetizer ran a little small, considering the price. The ramen was just okay--I got the pork miso broth which had a deep flavor, but the noodles felt like Italian spaghetti noodles and not like ramen noodles at all, which kinda threw off my experience. I will say the portion was a great value, and I liked the balance of veggies and meat to the noodles. My partner got their new Cali cold noodle bowl, which looked like a play on a poke bowl. She said it tasted good. So if it's a hot day, maybe consider grabbing that new item! read more

Itani Ramen - Pork miso ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

The food Hamachi Kama, Oxtail Ramen and chasui rice bowl was very delicious and comfort food great for the cold weather me and Hubby loved every bit of it read more

The service and food was good overall. I had the oxtail ramen, which was ok. I felt it could have been a bit more flavorful and the sweet potatoes were a tad under cooked. My wife had the special curry ramen and my son the miso pork, both said they were "ok" as well. Another person in our party had the chicken teriyaki bento and said the chicken itself was a little on the dry side and not enough sauce. The appetizers we ordered were really good though. We had the karaage, the salmon Kama and sloppy pork gyoza, all were delicious! I definitely saw other items on the menu I'd like to try, and being able to order Hopscotch chicken is a plus! It's also close to the Fox, another plus! We will likely visit again soon. read more

My wife and I went to itani while we were out holiday shopping. The ambiance of the restaurant was quaint. The service was very excellent. Our server, Diana greeted us with a smile and was very sweet when recommending food for us. I would recommend this place for anyone in the area read more

On the menu the Yonsei-Rita is $14. +$1 to sub in mezcal. However if you order the normal drink they STILL up charge you $1 because they use different tequila. But they won't tell you the actual drink is technically $15. ODD. On the other handThe front door guy is very nice. read more

Itani Ramen - Receipt - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Just alright. Came in on a Tuesday evening, was able to immediately get a table. Servers were friendly and came around often. However food wise just fell flat. Got the: Sloppy Gyoza (3/5): a lot of sauce that just masked the gyoza, need a stronger flavor in the gyoza to stand up or dial back the sauce in my opinion Miso Pork Ramen (3/5): just not really rememberable, so hard to recommend While the wait staff was friendly and attentive, food was just so-so. Unfortunately didn't satisfy that ramen craving. Probably would not go back since there are so many other ramen places in the bay read more

Round 2: ordered delivery another time to try more of their ramen options! This time we had the Negi Chashu Ramen and the Oxtail Ramen. Both of them are delicious, rich flavors and textures. Enjoyed the food so much there were no leftovers! Great delivery/to go containers (I have been washing and reusing as Tupperware). Great comfort food options for those rainy shelter in place days when cooking motivation is lacking read more

See all

Ordered take out. Food came quick and broth was hot. The meal was packaged nicely. Ramen meat (I got chasu, oxtail) and egg were delicious. The noodles are so-so. They are squiggly and weirdly thick, kinda taste cheap. Broth was good but pretty dang salty. It also came in a half full container with about a quarter inch layer of fat. I understand the fat is part of the meal but it didnt sit well with the amount of broth I got. 4/5. read more

Itani Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

I always enjoy the amazing food and service that I get when I am at Itani. The oxtail ramen is one of my favorite dishes there. The drinks are perfectly crafted and taste soooo good. read more

See all

This is the first ramen I have tried in the Bay Area and it's good. The second time I went I got a rice bowl and oooooo buddy it was hitting. The service was on point and the staff is so kind and sweet. I felt valued as a customer and they helped me pick the bowl that was best for me. I got the salmon there way and it had grilled salmon, sashimi and salmon roe (ikura) with a sesame dressings side salad. I also got the Elderflower G&T too. It was a beautiful presentation all around! read more

See all

First time in Oakland I heard so much about this place and all good things, I had the miso pork ramen so tasty the noodles are amazing!!! My friend ordered the Salmon rice bowl also super tasty, the karage chicken was my favorite appetizer our serve Diana was the best so attentive and sweet Diana also made us some delicious drinks I can't wait to come back and try everything in the menu. read more

First of all, congratulations to the team at Itani Ramen for surviving COVID and making it to their 6th Anniversary. Both of us had received an email telling us about the 6th Annivesary Celebration. There wasn't much information other than certain adult beverages and ramen would be sold at a $6 price point. That's an amazing price for a bowl of hot ramen in a sit-down restaurant! Reservations were not taken and the deal was from 11:30am to 9:30pm (dine-in only). Cool. We made sure that we got there early to get in on the first sitting. Parking in the area is limited to two hours so we figure, get there around 10:30, get in at 11:30 and be out by 12:15, easy peasy. We sat at the tables across the street in front of The Emporium. This allowed us to be comfortable, sitting in the morning sunshine and mostly out of the wind, which was blowing cold! We figured that we'd wait until anyone else started a line and then we'd queue up to (no sun on Itani's side of the street). No one else showed up and we were the first in the door at 11:30. There were some balloons set up and not much else that we noticed in the way of festivities. Once we were seated, our server told us that the $6 Ramen came WITHOUT any protein. I guess I had read the email incorrectly. It did say, "Includes choice of broth, spinach, bean sprouts, green onions, half egg + our full list of enhancements available to add on*. (*View our full menu for list and cost of ramen enhancements.) We had a pretty good feeling before even driving out that we were not going to get away with two bowls of ramen for $12 plus tax and tip. We expected that we would order an appetizer at regular price and I usually order extra noodles. We decided on Pork Gyoza, Yaki Style, as an app. 5 pieces for $9, 10 pieces for $15. Of course, we got the 10. Can never have too many Gyoza but you certainly can have too few! Unfortunately, the Gyoza were the best things we ate. Hot, thin-skinned, crispy on the bottom, delicious with the sauces on the table. The one minor issue withe the Gyoza is that we would have prefered more veg instead of mostly meat. We'd give the Gyoza a score of 4. She got Miso Ramen with Pork Belly. I ordered Miso Ramen with Oxtail and Extra Noodles. She got what she asked for. I think my broth was a Shoyu Based one. When I order Oxtail, I expect to see one or two bones from the tail of the animal with bits of meat and fat to gnaw on. Instead, I got a small amount of what could have been pulled pork, very strong on Miso but not of beef. Both broths were way too salty for us. Same with the 1/2 Eggs. Salt is a personal choice and some people would probably say that it wasn't salty enough. You can always add salt, you can't take it away other than by diluting it. Her add-on Pork Belly was $3 for a total of $9. Mine add-on Oxtail was $7 plus $2.50 for add-on Extra Noodles, $15.50. I opted not to pay extra for the Garlic Chives, Sweet Potatos or Sesame that the Oxtails are normally served with. That would have added at least another $1.50. Our noodles were of two different textures. Hers were tender, mine were very toothy and gave my jaw a workout. We give both Ramens a score of 2. When we were done with our meal, I placed a credit card on the table. The server asked if she could take the card and I said yes. She brought me back the Merchants Copy and Customers Copy of the Charge Slip to sign but not the Itemized Bill. I didn't ask for it because the sub-total was close to what I had calculated. Out the door, lunch cost us $49 plus the parking meter. Oh, and we got back to our car with 2.5 minutes left on the meter. There was a long delay between the Gyoza and Ramen and no reason was ever given. In summary, I wish Itani Ramen well but we will not be back. read more

See all

Came for restaurant week and my experience will stay in restaurant week. Will never come back. Nothing about my experience was inherently terrible but considering how many great ramen places there are in The Bay, this is not worth it, especially at this price point. I got the $20 menu which includes the following: appetizer, choice of ramen/donburi, non alcoholic beverage. CUCUMBERS & KIMCHI: 6.5/10 -- The kimchi was said to be housemade, so I got excited and chose this app. Being housemade, I'd assume less fermentation and a fresher taste. You're hit with a hard and strong vinegar taste. Not completely off putting, but you definitely have to pace yourself. I expected the cucumbers to be the real fresh element on the plate but it was completely soaked in a thick layer of sesame oil so it dulled that opportunity. OXTAIL RAMEN: 5/10 -- I read many people thought the broth was salty in their miso ramen. I believe the same broth is used for this one, but it was fine for me. Instead, the oxtail was incredibly salty. Almost unpalatable. The broth was also lukewarm at best. I watched my ramen get picked up right after it was prepared, so it's not like it was sitting out for awhile. The noodles are prepared al dente, which I prefer. However, for those who like theirs softer, the broth will not be warm enough to reach that consistency for you. My noodles were just as al dente by the end of the bowl. The soft boiled egg was good, sadly you only get half. One of my least favorite ramen experiences. Honestly shocked the broth wasn't even warm. Don't waste your time. Definitely a place you can skip. read more

Itani Ramen - oxtail ramen with cucumbers and kimchi appetizer - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Just popped in for a little something to eat before tennis practice. Opted for a Sapporo lager on draft and Miso Pork Ramen. It was the equivalent to Happy Hour so a $4 beer was good. The quality of the ramen noodles was impressive to me. A little al dente which I preferred. I have a hearty appetite and didn't opt for extra noodles that I usually ask for. The chasu wasn't bad at all. I detected a slight dryness in only one of three pieces. Overall worth eating. If you're ever in the Uptown area of Oakland not a bad place to drop in to. read more

Itani Ramen - Miso Pork Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Great sushi, ramen, and service! Went here for dinner and was immediately greeted, seated, and the food came out quickly. We had a few of the sushi rolls (caterpillar and rainbow), and ramen. I also had an asahi, which is so satisfying on a warm night. Tons of seating and they kept the door open for airflow! Check them out! Close to public transit too. read more

Our house is feeling a bit under the weather and the cook was too fatigued to, well cook. So off to a delivery app she went. Remembered hearing good things about Itani. Delivery was fast. LITERALLY THE BEST RAMEN anyone in the house had ever had. Also, gyoza generally seem pretty generic, but not these! Completely Epic Meal!! read more

From the owners of Hopscotch, this uptown eatery has a cool vibe and decor featuring prints of Tokyo street scenes, and a nice bar. Other than ramen, they also have sushi rolls and donburi rice bowls. My wife had the salmon 3-way, which was a rice bowl with salmon sashimi, grilled salmon, and salmon roe, with a bed of greens. This dish was unique and creative, which we do not see in any Japanese style restaurants, and we enjoyed the dish. I had the pork miso ramen, which was fine but considering you had to pay extra to add seaweed and bamboo shoots, which may come standard at other places, this became a rather expensive bowl of noodles. For $20, I'd rather have ramen at other ramen specialists like Ippudo, Marufuku, etc. They do have a "Happy Hour" from 3 -6pm and I imagined they probably get a lot of downtown workers coming in after work for the food and drinks specials. read more

See all

Location, appearance and service are all very nice, but the food is really just mediocre. Don't go here expecting to be wowed by anything. I got the oxtail ramen and my wife got the gluten-free vegetarian ramen. The gluten-free soup was a total miss. We actually ended up having it taken off the bill. They are exploring different approaches to preparing gluten-free noodles, so check with them first to see if they have arrived at something that might fit your needs. The oxtail was fine, tasty and also good portions. But the broth was super plain. I would say that the soup was not worth the money, but I'm also aware that everything is super expensive right now and that a $17 bowl of ramen seems to be the standard no matter what quality you're looking for. Super hip interior though. Sorry Itani! read more

Taylor gave my friends and I excellent care this afternoon. It was pretty quiet, bc it's a Monday, but it was good food and peaceful. Video is of me taking a saki shot for my bday read more

Came here for dinner before we watched a show across the street at the Fox Theater and I'm glad we were recommended this place as the Ramen was very delicious and if anyone who knows me then they know I'm very picky about how I like my ramen! This restaurant isn't too big so I do suggest making reservations for weekends and dinner. I also believe this place is connected to another restaurant which happens to sell handrolls which I also want to check out. The service was fast and attentive which is always a plus in my book. read more

Loved the DIY spicy tuna hand roll! the bartender is so sweet! Had a great experience. All the staff seemed very kind.

The place has a good feel to it and it's right in the center of Downtown Aakland. It's small compact and has soft lighting. Parking can be difficult especially on a weekend night because of road closures and the area being busy. The service was normal, nothing out of the ordinary. We went in early so there were very few people. Traditional Ramen is known to have pork broth and I don't eat pork. We got the Oxtail Ramen and the Miso Pork Ramen and a side of kimchi. We got served the food really fast. However, the food did not meet our expectation. The Oxtail ramen was bland and didn't have a rich broth. The noodles were not fully cooked and whatever light flavors were there they didn't blend well. My friend had the miso pork ramen and said the broth was good and the pork was tender but the rest was average. The kimchi was straight up bad. We barely had two bites of it. I wouldn't recommend getting it at all. I was excited for this place because they had some chicken and vegetarian options. I'm not sure if my experience would have been better had I got either of those options. read more

See all

My friend recently just recommended Itami Ramen to me. While I was driving home I made a takeout order. I sat at the bar and was helped by a sweet server. Her name was either Diana Dana. I wasn't sure what to get and she helped with an excellent recommendation of the chicken katsu and fries. The chicken was juicy and the fries had a really delicious chili dipping sauce. I highly recommend giving it a look. read more

Perfect pre show meal. Good and quick service, the cocktail menu is great. For oakland prices this is worth it.

I liked the ambiance. They have a dessert vending machine with many authentic Japanese sweet stuff. They have real Japan street photos hung along the wall. We were seated in the back room which has a ton of pink lanterns and a flower bordered mirror. The menu had an array of things, ramen, rice bowls, hand rolls and some drink specials. You can even add a bunch of sides to your ramen. Despite all the aesthetics, the food did not taste remotely close to the flavors in Japan. The ramen broth was bland. The coolest thing was the DIY hand roll, only because I've never seen a restaurant serve that before, but the taste was a bit salty. The food looks a lot better than what it tasted like. The staff are friendly though and service is fast. read more

See all

For lunch today I decided to get the Oakland Restaurant Week 2019 menu, consisting of one small plate, one bowl of ramen, and a non-alcoholic beverage for $20. I ordered the pork miso ramen w/additional egg (+$1.50) and shiitake mushrooms (+$.50), crispy pork ears, and hot oolong tea totaling $22 pre-tax. The crisp pork ears, served with lime and shichimi, offered a tantalizing palate of savory umami, bright citrus, and heat. These individually bold flavors managed to harmonize well, with no one domineering flavor. The ramen itself (before add-ons), had nori, spinach, bean sprouts, chashu, and 1/2 aji tamago. The aji tamago had the proper marination color bleeding into the egg white but arrived a touch cooler than expected. The broth also arrived a cooler than expected, though not yet lukewarm. Otherwise, the broth itself seemed quite savory, though the miso itself seemed muted. The noodles, while not handmade, seemed sourced from a decent enough producer. ORW19's menu offers a compelling price point. I quite enjoyed the crispy pork ears; ramen execution has a few places for fine-tuning. Ultimately, since the ramen represented the majority of my meal, I weight my review accordingly. read more

See all

First time trying Itani Ramen & Nikkei Sushi through Oakland Restaurant Week 2021. Ordered the oxtail ramen and Alaska roll for $22. Both had good flavor and decent portions. If you have a large appetite, the portions might be a bit small for you. The ORW ramen and roll special was just enough for me, and I am not a particularly large eater. I ordered online and pickup was very easy in the restaurant. There is metered street parking out front. Note there was no soy sauce included in my order, so ask for it if you enjoy it with your meal. read more

Itani Ramen - ORW 2021 special - ramen & roll. Oxtail ramen & Alaska roll. - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Itami is my go to ramen place for sure. It's priced well, fast, and so delicious. It's also the first ramen I had when moving to the bay so maybe I'm just biased. Most recently I tried their sushi and wow so good! It tastes so fresh. Will definitely come back for sushi again. read more

Itani Ramen - Very fresh sushi roll - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

fantastic location right by the fox & really nice vibe and cocktails. Great spot to go before a show!!

The service here is fantastic, and the ramen is delicious! The drinks are worth the price and taste good and I love the ambiance of the restaurant! It's in a nice little location with lots to do so I recommend checking it out. read more

Super mid food for high price. I got the miso pork ramen - noodles and soup is pretty standard but the pork wasn't that good, kinda a weird texture and flavorless. Workers are very nice though read more

Service: fast and efficient, Food: we had their gyoza (3/5) and tried the pork miso and the oxtail ramen. It takes like instant noodle with bland broth. One of the worst ramen we had. I don't think this is the place you go for fine dining but rather for quick turnaround. Space is welcoming. read more

I absolutely love their spicy miso broth! I've ordered takeout a couple times and it's consistently fabulous! We also tried the Karage chicken which we had never had before and it was delicious! They gave us a sample of their gyoza as well, and I would come back just for that! read more

Itani Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Coming home from the east coast on a Tuesday it's amazing how few things are open for food. I was super grateful for this warming bowl of lovely veggie ramen and a tasty full wine pour of some cold unfiltered sake. I added the shiitake and kimchi for 50¢ each, which might sound like a lot for the tiny amount you get, but they were welcome additions that I'd absolutely get again. The veggie ramen and broth are quite flavorful. Staff were welcoming and it makes me happy to be home. The ice cream vending machine is a really fun perk. Got this very plain looking wafer with matcha ice cream in it. Nom. read more

Itani Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California